OSBM Administered Grants

Yes, so long as it is the same town/county that was named in the Committee Report. For example, we cannot change Town of Lewisburg to County of Franklin but can alter things like "Township" to "Town of" since the recipient stays the same.

There should be no co-mingling of General Funds and state directed grant funds. If your accounting software can't maintain separate accounts for the grant, we recommend creating a separate bank account for the grant. 

Yes. Digital signatures are accepted.

Please reach out to NCGrants@osbm.nc.gov and we will provide you the unique link for your organization.

Your grant funds may reimburse for project expenses that were paid on or after July 1 of the fiscal year for which the grant funds were awarded.

To apply you grant funds to any project expenses, they should be paid no earlier than the start of the state fiscal year for which the grant funds were awarded. State fiscal years begin on July 1.

We can disburse grant funds after the grant recipient has submitted all required documents and a signed contract. 

The appropriations act language for the grant will determine its allowable uses. The language in the law may be general, such as “capital improvements,” or it might name a specific project the fund must be used for. The description in the appropriations act will form the basis of the grant contract and scope of work, which will clearly describe the allowable uses of the grant funds. Please consult the language in the appropriations act in which your organization’s grant was included. 

Generally, no, the Directed Grant funds must be used for direct costs related to the purpose described in the appropriations act in which the grant was included. However, please discuss your situation and plans with  your grant administrator at OSBM to get an answer about the specific costs you have in mind.

This will come down to what your grant description says. In most cases no, but please contact your grant administrator with OSBM  if you do not know the description for your grant to determine if your specific grant would cover a vehicle.

Yes, although staffing cost must be directly related to the grant project. We prefer staff be 100% dedicated to the grant-funded project if you plan to use directed grant funds for staffing. If the employee is not 100% dedicated to the grant-funded project, timesheets must be kept for efforts spent on the grant-funded project, with a description of activities completed and signed off by the manager for each pay period (weekly or monthly depending upon the organization).

Directed grant funds should not be used for general operating expenses. If you aren’t sure your costs might be part of the project Scope of Work, please discuss with your grant administrator at OSBM.

Your Conflict of Interest Policy should address conflicts of interest that may arise involving your organization's management employees and the members of its board of directors or other governing body. The policy shall address situations in which any of these individuals may directly or indirectly benefit, except as the grantee's employees or members of its board or other governing body, from the grantee's disbursing of state funds, and shall include actions to be taken by the grantee or the individual, or both, to avoid conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety. 

It is a best practice to have all board members sign your conflict-of-interest policy, but it is not required. If you have a policy in place already, you do not need to go back and get it signed before you submit it.

The more detailed the better. We understand not everything may be decided before you receive the funds, but we need to understand what you plan to use the grants funds for. 

If your grant description is "capital improvements" you can have multiple projects. You will submit one Scope of Work with each of the projects listed out. Please include dollar amount for each project in budget section. 

We need to have all required documents and the final Scope of Work for a grant project before we can send an organization a grant contract.

Each grant will have it's own Contract with a unique Scope of Work.

You will not lose state directed grant funds unless there is a deadline by which the grant funds must be spent in the appropriations act in which your grant was included. The grant contract can be extended as needed until the project is completed. Please let  your OSBM grant administrator know if you anticipate a longer grant term period. 

Grants will be disbursed in the fiscal year for which they were awarded, so if you were awarded grants for two different fiscal years, they will be disbursed in two payments. For example, grants awarded in the next fiscal year will be paid within 100 days after the first day of the new fiscal year, which is July 1.